“A couple potential impact players at the top but an overall shallow system where the talent level drops off quickly.”

Those”potential impact players” are no strangers to Mariners fans, and they both could be on the 25-man roster when the team breaks spring training next year.

Goldstein ranks right-handed starter Michael Pineda as the Mariners top prospect. Pineda, a 6-foot-5 power pitcher, dominated for the first half of last season at Double-A West Tenn, where he went 8-1 with a 2.22 ERA in 13 starts. In 77 innings he had 78 strikeouts and 17 walks.

He finished the season at Triple-A Tacoma, going 3-3 with a 4.76 ERA in 12 starts.He had 76 strikeouts and 17 walks in 62.1 innings.

Pineda is a candidate to be in the Mariners starting rotation on Opening Day.

“Pineda’s combination of velocity and command is a rarity in the prospect world,” Goldstein says. “He sits in the mid-to-upper 90s, can touch triple digits on occasion, and absolutely pounds the strike zone with the fastball.”

Goldstein says Pineda needs to work on his changeup, but looks like a front-line pitcher in the making.

The No. 2 prospect, according the Goldstein, is second baseman Dustin Ackley. Ackley was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 draft and the Mariners have wasted no time getting him major-league ready.

He is playing to the Arizona Fall League and making a strong case for a spot on the big league roster. A lot of where he ends up next April will depend on other personnel decisions by the Mariners front office, but he looks like the second baseman of the future in the mold of Chase Utley.

Goldstein gives a four-start rating the shortstop Nick Franklin and outfielder Guillermo Pimentel. Goldstein projects Franklin, a power-hitting middle infielder, could reach the majors by 2013. Pimentel could be playing left field at Safeco by 2014.